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Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Identifies 27 Yemeni Citizens Targeted for Russian Military Deployment
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The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (SZRU) has uncovered a scheme organized by Russian military structures and the FSB Border Guard Service to recruit foreign mercenaries for the war against Ukraine, SZRU reported on September 19.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russian authorities have identified at least 27 Yemeni nationals intended for deployment to active combat zones.
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In July 2026, Lieutenant K. Pervushin, head of a contract military recruitment center in the city of Khanty-Mansiysk, requested that the FSB Border Guard Service legalize the stay of specific Yemeni citizens in Russia. Once legalized, the recruits are channeled into military contracts.
The administrative framework relies on Russian Presidential Decree No. 821, issued on November 5, 2025, which introduced temporary measures for granting citizenship and residence permits. While presented as migration policy, the decree functions as a mechanism to channel foreign labor into military service.
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The SZRU noted that the recruits include individuals born in 2006 and 2007, indicating that very young foreign nationals are being targeted with promises of financial compensation and legal status in Russia.
Amnesty International had previously reported that Russia’s recruitment of foreign nationals into its armed forces relies on deceptive, coercive, and exploitative practices that in many cases amount to human trafficking under the UN’s Palermo Protocol.
Drawing on interviews with foreign prisoners of war and victims' families, the organization detailed how recruiters lured individuals from low-income countries in the Global South under false promises of civilian employment or expedited citizenship, only to confiscate their documents and deploy them to active combat zones with minimal training.
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-85d08c07c8e144ad7f132ae9616cbef7.png "A Ukrainian high-speed interceptor drone launches to counter a jet-powered Russian Shahed attack UAV during operational tests. (Source: Volodymyr Zelenskyy)")
-a12c06c7a424fa81bb5029489dbe6623.png "FPV drone perspective moments before striking a Russian Buk-M3 SAM system in temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia. (Source: Unmanned Systems Forces Commander Robert “Magyar” Brovdi)")
